The Wolf and The Dog
by Lavenderpaw
Summary: We never come from nothing and this is certainly true for Togo, the unsung hero of Nome, AK in 1925. His journey to follow the wolf he loves will bring him to places he could never imagine, will force him into situations that will push him past even what his "wolf spirit" can handle. But he'll never give up until he finds something worth living for. Rating may change.
1. Flight risk

**I.**

 _Nome, Alaska 1923..._

Snow had fallen with dutiful appreciation over the small town along the coast of the Bering Sea. Clouds remained in the background, grey and white, as they often did after any sort of eventful thing had come to pass. Of course, eventful things didn't occur every day in Nome.

...

He was at first a blur of fur; then, a thin, furry animal sped along the curve of the sea.

Nothing else seemed to move until the brown and tan dog bustled towards it. A large flock of geese were sent into a quick retreat as the sable husky charged forward. His orange-red eyes gleamed with excitement as he bit at their feet, missing a few toes by half an inch.

The husky didn't look back, he barreled along the Norton Sound toward a languished-looking man in a fur-trimmed jacket. At the sound of the husky's approach, the fisherman turned his tired brown eyes to look at him. Grinning quite literally ear-to-ear, the husky indicated the pale of food next to his tackle. It was food because the dog sensed it, it was his because it was fated. Whether this human knew the true nature of the beast or valued his life over his lunch, the Native man jumped into the sea.

One bat of the pale with his nose and the husky swallowed individual parts of a ham and cheese sandwich into his mischievous maw. A toothpick with an olive was caught precisely at the end. The husky gave it a small grimace and tossed it back into the air. He saw a small marten licking itself on an exposed root and in a split second ran straight towards it at top speed. The creature flicked up an ear and scurried away by going under the tree root. It wasn't fate that snared and tethered the pursuing husky but a taut fishing line. The dog pulled.

With all his might, he never looked back but strained against the tight bind.

Then, he caught the scent of the brown creature scurrying toward a landlocked boat. The husky wrinkled his dark grey nose before giving the thin line another tug and then bolting like a streak of lightening under the root. He grinned as he gained some air and yet quickly found himself falling backwards. The husky wrinkled his muzzle again and gave a large kick of his back paws against the hard brown earth. With a silent snap, he reclaimed his pursuit.

The husky bypassed a long board propped against the leaning side of the vessel, hopped up on a life preserver with his front paws and then managed to scramble and claw the rest of his way onto the top deck. He gave a little gasp when he saw the brown thing pause to look at him atop the cabin. The dog growled at it - causing it to squeak - before pursuing it again.

With a few short leaps onto a structure connected to the cabin, the husky climbed on top of the roof and noisily pursued his quarry. A sharp, accented, " _Hey_!" fell on intentionally deaf ears and the husky was gone before the occupant could get a rope out of the compartment.

It had been a long run and the husky finally slowed to a light jog.

Only one thing could do this:

They were dark, tall and foreboding. These giant sitka and fir trees that were as old as time.

Feeling an odd draw, the husky started slowly moving towards the trees in the distance. His paw hit the water and he balked. Gasping, he shot another look forward. Whatever this land of darkness was, it seemed to move and deepen as the sun lowered over the sky behind the drifting clouds. The husky swallowed softly and looked more with longing then fear. He came to the very crook of the coastal line and focused intently on where he hadn't ever ventured.

A small flicker of shadow over by a large snowdrift and the Land of Darkness was forgotten.

The husky chased the marten into a gopher hole... and got his head stuck.

" _Togo_!" Someone called out.

With a yelp and a bump, the entire snowdrift plopped on top of the husky in a silky cascade.

"Where is that dog?" A blonde-haired young man muttered as he walked by. He clasped his gloved hands to his mouth and yelled. "TOGO?!" There was a muffled grunt. The man gave an exasperated sigh and continued his trek; there was no other huskies available right now.

Togo grunted louder before yanking his head out of the hole, shaking off the snow.

"Ugh..." He jumped off the soft mound and watched the musher leave with dissatisfaction.

The feeling was mutual.

"TOGO!"

Said-shouted-for-husky shook out his fur and then went charging back the way he'd come.

Off to the side of the snowy ridge, a pair of golden eyes opened.

Something that blended in perfectly with the snow watched the husky as he scouted out a new problem to cause.

To be continued...

 **A/N:** This will be a generation-expanding story and be in Togo's POV. I fully acknowledge Togo was an actual husky who was in Nome in 1925 and who was indeed not part wolf. I've really looked forward to writing this and have done research on the real story, the animated movies and Alaska. So let's have fun with this and don't be afraid to leave a little feedback.

Thank you. :)


	2. Moonrise

**I.**

The air and sky were calm as Togo shot toward the docks of Nome. His jowls were watering as he thought of the delicious sheefish the fisherman always brought in. When he arrived at the old bait shop, a cat hopped up on a barrel and snuggled up against him. Togo chuckled and returned one when another cat jumped up on his head, followed by another. The canine also welcomed the sight of petrels; they weren't family but friends he had known all his life.

One of the cats started clawing at the shop's support beams and Togo happily joined in.

" _Oooo_ -kay," One of the men lugging a wooden bucket dumped his spoils along the snow.

Everyone's eyes bugged out as fish heads spewed in a slimy stream over their paws. Togo licked his chops hungrily and started gobbling down the heads as the petrels did. He would take some in his mouth and gobble them down along with his black seabird friends. The medium-sized Siberian Husky was just starting to lick his paws with his family when they all scattered away.

"Hey! Where ya goin'?" He looked around himself and then at the fleeing petrels. "I just got here." The husky's ears perked up and he turned to the shadow looming over him, hands on it's hips.

"Togo," The young bundled musher glared down at him, "Look at you," he pulled the dog out of the discarded bones and skin scraps. "You are _not_ a stray dog anymore." Togo whined and pulled as Sam fastened a collar to his neck. "You're the fastest dog in Nome," the husky paused to pose proudly, "and the most stubborn. Stop struggling or it's the ship to Norway."

The husky tried with all this might to fight so Samuel Reigns couldn't get his leash on.

As they entered town, Sam noticed one of the other mushers buttering some toast outside of the town bakery. He stole a conspiratorial glance as his stubborn husky and started in on a quick conversation with Mr. Lionheart. Togo tried in vain to pull his furry head free of what turned to be an unusually tight collar, he was panting hard when Sam looked down at him...

With a knowing smirk. Togo bared his teeth in a growl but the young man only tightened it.

That's when the husky noticed some melting butter in a glass dish and smiled cleverly as a thought occurred to him. When he was sure Sam was deep in conversation, Togo lapped up the butter, used his tongue to spread it inside of his collar and easily slipped out of his bind.

The man buttering his toast raised a brow at him.

Togo grinned with butter and fish in his teeth and ducked under the man's arm carefully.

His mild-mannered witness cleared his throat and gestured as the discarded collar on the loose leash. Togo frowned and then returned to place it over an old hitching post. The man smiled and tried to pet Togo, but the dog avoided his butter knife hand and dashed off. With a shrug, the man returned to his toast. Togo was halfway through town when he saw an old lady in a starch apron light a fire under a huge wooden bowl, rip off some blubber to throw under it and then after making sure no one was looking, fanned it with her board-stiff apron. It was at almost the exact same time she went back inside that Togo tried to get inside of it. He would do anything, regardless of how things turned out.

The flames were rising high and the dog kept away under a long ladder propped up against it. Agitated, Togo tried to think of a way into the giant wooden thing. He then noticed an old whisky barrel and rope where a bell used to hang. Togo was at least a good twenty feet off the ground as he stared into the bubbling bathtub. Grinning, the husky flopped backwards into the steaming cauldron. Water splashed up like a mini-geyser and soaked the returning woman's head. Four Native children who had climbed into the bathtub by way of the ladder saw the husky floating around and sighing as the steam rose up. Their caretaker - her white cap still soaked over her eyes - appeared on top of the ladder with lye soap and a big brush.

Togo stifled a yelp as the old woman started scrubbing him down. The kids grinned, coming up to scrub the husky down as well. Togo enjoyed the lathering so much he even started to lap at her hand. The children's quiet giggling grew louder as their matriarch was made wise.

" _TOGO_!" She tried slapping the dog as he paddled backwards and allowed her to fall in.

The kids were doubled over in laughter by the time the husky made it to the edge and fell outside of it in a soaking heap. Togo raced away as Sam came running, shouting about how late he was making them. He finally made it to where two men were about to exchange a steaming plate of halibut for a bag of walnuts. Togo managed to rip open the bag from the bottom, causing the nuts to fly out towards an ensuing Sam and steal a second lunch in all of the confusion. By the time everyone arrived on the scene, Togo was rushing to the beach.

He grinned as he stopped after a minute or two, breathing a little hard with the fish still in his mouth. The husky gave his head a shake at the sky before lying down to have a calm, ill-earned bite to eat. He happened to glance toward a mound of snow when he saw a pure white canid appear at the top. His jaw fell a little, halibut still on his pink tongue. He'd seen wolves before. Large, curious animals that sometimes left a deer on the outskirts of town.

Togo knew when the wolves left there would always be something left to scavenge; unlike humans, animals never disappointed. But this wasn't an animal. This wasn't anything Togo had ever seen or copied. This was a queen, a winter goddess fresh out of a snow palace. It was without a doubt in Togo's mind before her golden eyes ever found his where his life was destined to go. She stood, part of the earth itself, and looked at him for a few more seconds before the low grunt of another wolf diverted her attention. Togo's eyes grew with yearning.

The goddess gave him one final look and disappeared over what felt like a great mountain.

Togo's intrigue won out over his fear of the forest. He was one heartbeat from throwing his entire life away and pursuing his new passion when a hundred hands grabbed his muzzle as if he were a wild bear, they grabbed his legs, tail and body as if he were a wolverine set to slice them apart. Togo fought, kicked and cried as they stuffed him in a bag as if they were netting an eagle. _I'll show you wild! I'll show you_ all! He thought as he felt the outside give way to painful punches, kicks and at one point a piece of wood knocked him about his head.

The husky staggered, fell and found his limbs bound further as he slipped into darkness.

...

He was running, following a wall of black that went on forever.

Togo felt hopeless as he realized he was lost. Scared, because he couldn't find the light.

The dog almost collapsed in pain again when a large, white image appeared in the sky.

Eyes like glittering stars formed in the face of the glowing shape.

"You're the moon," he whispered, mist spewing from his black lips, "The Goddess."

A gentleness entered her eyes and light like starbeams fell onto him, filling him with gold instead of the white coming off of her. Togo became intoxicated with warmth. He almost let his tongue fall out of his mouth as she spoke his name softly, "Togo," Like a mother's voice.

" _Togo_."

He tasted something bitter and smelled something musky.

"Togo!" A stern voice snapped him awake. The husky was momentarily shocked that Sam wasn't in a fit of rage... until he realized his paws were tethered together. He tried to fight but the calming effect was still there. The dog saw the rag laying next to his head and hit the offending item away. He hated false hope or things you had to have faith in to see. It didn't occur to him right away that he and Sam stood in front of a large Nome residence.

 _Oh, no,_ He thought as two men unbound but kept him in place while Sam very courteously helped an old woman down the stoop of her home. Togo noticed the late day and knew he'd been out of it for a while. Wait... wait, _humans_ had done this to him. If Togo wasn't still shocked that men could do this and bewildered by the dream of his strange Goddess-,

The Goddess.

Togo strained under the hold of his captors as the narrow-sighted little lady was helped into the sled that served as a cab in Nome, AK. Sam grinned so hard he almost strained his jaw muscles. "I am _so_ sorry about the late hour, Misses Hampton. The petrels were pecking at Togo again." The dog shook his head from side-to-side; Sam had done this to him! _What_?!

"Hmph," One of the men said quietly. "Them birdies get all the credit."

The other man chuckled roughly. "Don't they always?"

He shook his grip on Togo to stop him and ignored the dog when he snapped at his hands.

Scared, the dog strained to look back at Sam. He seemed to give the accouters permission to leave and came to look at Togo with a calm smile, as if nothing had happened and he was still the nice young musher from Fairbanks who had taken Togo in almost five weeks earlier.

"Okay," He held up the intended harness to make a point. "It's just like a collar and leash." Sam smiled. Togo forgot the incident and scowled at him. "Except..." the man conceded to this. "For half your body. Now, come on," Togo whined but stood still as Sam fastened it on.

He knew where Sam wanted to go and he now knew the price for disobedience.

The two men were gone but the injustice filled the husky with a strange, raw rage.

And so, Togo fumed. As his musher got in the front, the harnessed animal ripped and bit at his chest. He was working towards his stomach when his head jerked back abruptly, he let out a small whine and saw that Sam stood adamantly with a rope tied around the sled bar.

" _Mush_ ," The man insisted, slackening his choke hold just a bit.

Togo grumbled and pulled the sled with it's occupants outside of Nome, AK.

If he never saw this humorless, hick town again...

...

All the while the wolves waited until everyone had gone inside for the night before retrieving a half-eaten moose killed on the edge of town. The top wolf, a dark grey and black male, let it be known to his pack of seven what the white wolf had seen. She was a young scout; her eyes missed nothing. So even as she was not the fastest or the strongest, she purposely let herself fall behind to stare down into the fishing village long after the bushy coyote had left.

Scavengers didn't interest her, but ones that acted as strangely as this one had did.

The top wolf gave a gruffer reprieve then the last time and she reluctantly followed.

As the pack headed off into the dark forest, four men with guns appeared on the horizon.

One of the men had a sack.

To be continued...


	3. Free fighting: Pt 1 of 2

**I.**

The clouds fell back towards the sunset, darkening and dissipating with the waning light. As Togo slowed to take in the beauty - the only time he ever slowed - he felt his throat tighten. A growl rolled out of his teeth just as something nipped the back of his ear. Togo whimpered.

"This is my job," Sam brought the rope holding his neck as far back as it would go, sounding grimly determined as Togo was forced to face forward. "I'm not going back to my father and his shop." Another snap at the back of Togo's legs made him yelp and bolt forward. " _Mush_!"

Togo saw a log cabin briefly in the distance, half-obscured by a small spruce. That's when the yelp of another kind caught his attention. It was hard to see at first because of a second path that diverged off into the base of a mountain, but through the brackets of uneven snow Togo saw the wolf pack running through the trees. Sam yelled his name and slashed at his ear to keep him on their path. The husky flashed his teeth when the discharge of a gun made the wolves move faster. A brown one passed, then a very dark black and grey one...

Even as Sam was ready to whip him again the husky didn't stop searching.

After a few moments, he knew no other wolf was coming.

He knew nothing except she was no longer there.

" _Rrrr_ -RA!" A wolf brought up the rear, it weaved and bobbed as if to throw someone off.

" **Togo**!"

The husky saw nothing now, except the Goddess. He heard not a sound but his hammering heart and the muffled noise of yelling. Togo wasn't aware he was pulling the elderly woman and young man sideways until much a sharper, more painful slash behind his ear made him growl furiously. Togo charged forward under a barrage of skin-cutting whippings. The white wolf appeared one more time before disappearing into the trees. Desperation flooded Togo and he pulled for all he was worth, trying to escape. Sam had discarded the useless trigger tool at that time and was just trying to keep his client from falling out as his husky rebelled.

"To _gooooooo_!"

As the dog pulled harder and raced even faster, the place where he had bitten earlier on his harness striped down thin to the string. Togo was almost able to reach flat enough elevation to pursue his Goddess and topple over his forgotten charges. Sam clutched onto the husky's rope with grizzled determination and made one last ditch effort to make the dog obey. Togo made one final pull of his own and snapped off his harness. The dog running free caused the sled to careen off into a snowbank at the bottom of the trail. Togo streaked up to the forest.

"You useless cur!"

He slowed to a steady jog, looking back over his furry shoulder.

"You thoughtless, heartless creature! _Don't ever come back_."

Togo looked down at his bare chest and was struck with jubilation.

"I'm free?" He said to himself. "Haha!" The husky couldn't contain his joy. "I'M FREEEEE!"

He did notice the leather collar still constricting his throat and the rope flying behind him. The husky bit and ripped at it with all his grit before finally making it undo itself. A flash of dark red was all he saw as he tossed it away gleefully and cleared the few remaining feet he had to get to the start of the new trail. Togo charged like a proud, powerful steed to his new freedom. The deep blue glow surrounding him darkened and settled, leaving the plateaus in the distance a dark, foreboding purple. Trees around him grew more shadowed as all of the clouds from earlier moved in from the west. But he didn't stop to search for any light; Togo had no use for the lights from lanterns or even the stars. He had his Goddess to find. Even the strange smells and sounds of the forest didn't deter him. She was the moon, his moon.

Togo knew she would guide him.

To be continued...


	4. Free fighting: Pt 2 of 2

**I.**

Morning over the snow-filled terrain was still and cloudy. Togo leapt through the deep blue light filtering through from tree-to-tree until he reached a river cutting it's own path into an otherwise shore pine-lined trail. The husky made his way over to the water expectantly. He didn't feel the strain from his short night's run, only hunger and frosted lungs in his throat.

Togo sighed and trotted over to lick the water.

His pick tongue caught the surface and he frantically used his nails to pry it off.

Releasing a huff of air, Togo stared at his overlapping reflection in the hard, white, "Ice."

The husky determined. He breathed once through his nose.

"I got it!" Togo perked up. "I'll do what those foxes do when they're looking for mice."

It never quite occurred to him that he wasn't exactly a vulpine as he crouched down, let his bushy, tail tip twitch twice, and then leapt face-first into the rock-solid lake. His upper nose gave a slight crunch as his paws tucked forward to help spare the rest of his muzzle from a similar fate. Togo let out a little agonized whine as he rubbed at his nose and then took note of caribou in the distance. The pup's auburn eyes widened as an idea so grand came to him:

He could scavenge a carcass!

Togo rushed at the herd at top speed, his legs flopping back and forth in his excitement.

The caribou lifted their heads and sprang out of the way. Surprised, Togo felt an even bigger thrill of adrenaline course through him as he bound through the parting herd like a speeding comet catching fire. His pulsating run came to a sudden stop as he watched a big head rise to look at him. Togo saw of the creature antlers so white, he almost mistook them for sun-bleached driftwood. But this wasn't why he gawked; it was the memory of _her_. Big, white...

"Goddess," Togo murmured, finding his focus.

As the husky bolted toward the scent of a late night kill, the head buck returned to languidly chewing the grove of shrubs he had unearthed earlier as well. Togo skirted past the skeletal remains of the caribou and dove like a deer straight for the next line of trees. He searched.

He sniffed.

After about twenty minutes, Togo languished.

The idea that he was many miles from home finally set in.

"What'd I do?" He wondered aloud. "I can't go back..." Something else dawned on him. "I've got no one to go back t-," And there she was. They were just dots of black heading up what was essentially a similar rise of snow closer to town. Togo started running towards them in a split-second, hardly unable to contain his joy at seeing his Goddess again. _She's there, right there!_ Togo thought as he raced toward the last wolf in the pack, who followed their straight formation without one look his way. But that was all right as Togo didn't care for the others.

If the rest of the pack went on without her, he wouldn't have noticed.

...

Aniu felt her stomach bulging a bit as she measured her pace behind Shanarow. He was the second-to-last in the pack but he was built long and wiry. What her pack lacked in bulk and brutality, they made up for in size and swiftness. Just then she caught a scavenger's scent.

This wasn't usually cause for alarm; a coyote, fox or vulture posed little threat to them.

No, this was something else.

The wolf looked up to see the strange canine from before barreling up to her.

Without fear, she noted curiously.

...

Togo saw her as his feet moved him from the thick snow and onto thinner tread. The white wolf had stopped altogether to watch the advance of the hurried husky. He wasn't sure why he hurried exactly - she clearly wasn't going anywhere - but the urge to be near her surged.

He felt his pace quickening even as the soft snow became harder.

The Goddess blinked once before adjusting her large head into a slight tilt.

It was then that Togo felt his paws nearly shoot out from under him.

Ice clear and solid appeared from nowhere; an unexpected pool of water opening up from the river. Togo clenched his teeth as he slipped and slid around. Getting control was hard as there were no big enough ridges to fit his claws into. The dog fidgeted around more hastily, desperate to find the brakes and not look like a fool to the wolf. But she was merely serene as she observed him motionlessly. Togo started to think she was a figment of his mind when he managed to splay his brown claws out and catch onto a little groove at the pond's end. It dawned on Togo two seconds later that he'd halted. Amazed, the husky peeked at his toes.

Aniu lowered her head down inches from Togo's forehead.

He casually glanced up and jolted back like she was an attacking bear.

The husky breathed hard as he stared up into her eyes.

Beautiful, yellow-gold eyes rimmed in black...

Togo got his panting under control and offered her a toothy grin, meaning to be sincere.

...

Shanarow yelped to her again instead of his father.

The white wolf glanced at him, back to Togo, and then followed the black-and-silver male.

"Wait! Where ya goin'?" She heard the scavenger call in his odd voice.

Aniu glanced at him, then continued after her pack as they headed to find a resting place.

It was no big deal that a scavenger was following them, it happened all the time.

There was nothing special about this one.

When she looked back a final time, he just stared after her. The confusion plain on his face a was good sign; it meant he got the message and would probably turn around soon. Maybe go back to his human encampment. Aniu felt better about her mistake of chasing that tiny marten so close into town, Shanarow had been right about the caribou stragglers near the outskirts. It had been Aniu who had ventured too close. Now, all was right and well again.

The white wolf turned to see that the scavenger was charging after her.

To be continued...


	5. Exit the taiga

**I.**

The day was getting late, the shadows were fanning out across the ever-growing expanse of snowy terrain, and when Aniu looked back over her shoulder, she saw the scavenger keeping at a steady pace a few feet behind her. The rest of the pack hadn't yet noticed their interloper and Aniu was growing more concerned then curious now. What could this animal want? There was no food for miles around and where they were headed was much too brutal for this child.

Doing the only thing she could think of, Aniu tried weaving and bobbing. She tried to make it clear that his persistence would gain nothing. The wolf thought of making her point with more assertion when this proved ineffective, but she knew what Barano would say. The trees begun to appear less and less as they fast approached glacial plateau. Aniu tried to act like she was disinterested in the strange scavenger. After a minute or so of this, she turned to see her results... he was running almost close enough to touch her but at the last moment fell back in distraction.

His tongue falling out of his mouth seemed to hint at his actual intelligence.

...

Absorbed in nothing but her, Togo suddenly took notice of the way she was running. The wolf ran with her claws digging into the snow. She almost glided in her long-legged run. Togo gave a little stop-skip adjustment to his own four feet, then he raced with as much driving force as she did. The husky seemed to become one with his speed as she did. He grinned a little as he maneuvered around his sweet Goddess and dart in quick spurts up to where she raced at the end of the pack. Her golden eyes grew with surprise and she glanced anxiously at the black-silver wolf in front of them.

But he paid them no mind.

The husky ran beside his Goddess, never looking at any of the other wolves. She seemed perplexed as to why anyone would run beside her. Why was Togo not racing further to catch up with the rest? He beamed at her as he matched her pace perfectly, not needing a reason.

...

As the other wolves ran in a straight line, Aniu watched the scavenger more closely. It took her a few seconds to realize he was _willingly_ keeping pace with her, whether he could outrun her or not. The bewilderment left her eyes as something softened slightly around them. She raised the sides of her mouth a bit. The scavenger let his tongue fall out of his mouth again.

Aniu checked where she was going once before looking back at him.

The scavenger watched her moon eyes, going at a full-tilt without ever looking ahead, when a ridged slab of granite made contact with his face. Aniu stopped short and watched as the other wolves kept racing ahead. She wondered briefly if they'd notice her absence and then looked down at the scavenger again. He peered up at her dizzily and grinned a toothy grin.

She stiffened at little at the odd display, unsure if he meant to be hostile.

His crazed look left and perked up like a pup.

"Hi," He got to his feet and wagged his tail. "I'm... I'm Togo! And you-, you're the Goddess."

Aniu blinked. "Goddess?" she didn't move.

"Yeah, uh, _yes_. See, I saw you in my dream. Heh-heh. I can do that, y'know. It's sort of like smelling with my mind. I can... I can track animals down by thought. And well, I knew I had to find you because my heart said to. My thoughts tracked you and my heart found you, so, I found you!" He didn't seem to see the need for more explanation than that. Aniu turned in the direction of her pack and found Togo there instead. "Isn't that cool? I mean, I know you don't know me and I don't know you. But I think we-," A furious growl erupted behind him.

Togo leapt in a startled fit to face the angry wolf.

Aniu stood beside him as calm and still as stone in an arctic wind.

"This scavenger has gotten lost," she explained simply.

Shanarow moved his deep brown eyes on her, she kept her own guarded.

"Has he?" The wolf was mostly unemotional except for his doubt. "He has traveled very far."

Aniu nodded once in acknowledgement.

Shanarow leered at her impassive face. "Quite the coincidence his distance as brought him here with us," she froze absolutely, "thereby providing fallacy to your claim that he is _lost_."

Two other wolves, brown and white but both patterned in reverse, came to flank him.

"This isn't necessary," Aniu said with an edge to her voice. Togo looked at her anxiously as she held her ground but made no move forward. "A wayward scavenger is no threat to us."

Shanarow's brown eyes deepened. " _Then-send-it-on-it's-way_ ," he grumbled each word with slow precision. A husky grunt caused the tall, limber wolf to look back in expectation. There was a spark of knowledge in the wolf's eyes as he stepped away to allow his father forward.

" _Aniu_ ," The strict wolf emphasized like his son. Togo gasped as he realized that it was the actual way he spoke; a raspy, menacing whisper. "Who is this dog you have brought here?"

"Dog?" She repeated innocently.

Togo examined his white Goddess and the older wolf who was truly graying with age. He let his eyes fall for the first time to the other wolves. The two from before, probably around his age or so, scratched and bit at each other's fur. An older female wolf swayed this way and that, seeming unbalanced. Her fur was white but shot through with silver and black. None of which were of particular interest to Togo... until his eyes fell to the darkest, oldest male wolf in the pack. If his Goddess fascinated him beyond all reason, this enormous timber wolf was enough to terrify him back into common sense. Togo looked at Aniu again and accepted her.

She was his fate.

To be continued...


	6. Enter the tundra

**I.**

Togo backed away as the huge wolf approached him, glancing at Aniu for reassurance. She didn't move an inch to stop the elder pack member or comfort him as he stopped directly in front of the husky. The dog felt like a puppy, a very, very small puppy who was going to die.

"You have wandered far from home," The wolf observed wisely.

"I followed her." Togo innocently indicated Aniu with his nose.

"That makes no sense." Shanarow interrupted.

"Let your grandfather speak," Barano quietly reprimanded him.

The old wolf was still staring at Togo when the pup looked back. "That does not necessarily clarify your reasoning. Why have you followed my son's pack here?" he demanded to know.

"For _her_." The husky insisted.

Everyone could hear the youth and naivete in the pup's voice.

"He's no older than Cotto and Nelle."

"Oh, surely not Nocturno." The older, jittery female approached. "We cannot teach another."

Shanarow was surprised. "He's not a-,"

"He will remain for the night." Barano leveled a look with his son and then seemed to look to his own father for reassurance; Nocturno remained unchanged. "The young dog poses no threat to our pack. Once morning comes, we will continue on our way." he said nothing else.

Shanarow flashed his fangs at Togo once more in a growl.

Barano grunted at him.

The husky and Goddess watched as he followed his father to the end of the snowfield.

All the wolves branched off into pairs.

This was just fine with Togo. "Some team, huh?" he looked at Aniu.

The white wolf had headed off to the outer rim of the pack to clean her immaculate fur. He watched her go anxiously before pawing over to her. Aniu's pelt blended in so well with the snow, Togo was a little self-conscious about giving her spot away. But he quickly recovered.

"Hello, Goddess." The husky said in a friendly voice.

Aniu looked up at him, then went right back to cleaning herself.

"Your family is nice... so, uh, you like fishing? We could-," He remembered his ordeal with the river. "Huh. Uh...you like running, right? We could... " They'd been running for hours. "I guess you're a little tired. We could swap stories! I could tell you all about my life and you-,"

Suddenly, two sets of paws grabbed Togo and tossed him back. The husky barely had time to react as the large wolf pups started stalking him. Both had big, deep eyes set on Togo's movements... both were much bigger then Togo. The yelp of the old female alerted the two.

Togo breathed a little easier as they both ran towards her.

"Wow, she looks just like you." The husky commented. "Except, of course, you're all white."

When he looked back to his Goddess, she was gone. He saw her going the way they'd came.

Confused, Togo looked back at the unconcerned pack. No one seemed to have noticed her leaving. He turned back to see her form had already melded into the snow. Togo sighed out of longing before folding himself back on the ground to wait for her. Instead of harboring an awkward sense of obligation to follow her or try to bond with the pack, Togo merely waited.

Two pack members watched him closely... Shanarow and Nocturno.

...

Late day came again with the pack still resting.

The night went on and grew colder. As snow fell across the landscape, six of the wolves had moved in close to keep warm. Togo had tried without success to squeeze in between Cotto and Shanarow. He had tried moving towards the Goddess, but she was invisible to his red-brown eyes. In the end, the husky had resorted to curling up on his own and trying to sleep.

...

A whisper of memory moved through the steady wind, much too weak for most to hear.

Golden eyes opened in the thickening blizzard and Aniu rose her big head out of the snow, the white sliding off of her in a powdery mist. She saw her pack sleeping safely in a huddle. Then, her acute gaze came to linger on Togo; the dog shivered, flinched and tightened up.

His coat was thick, but not sufficient for this type of weather.

Aniu knew what the outcome would be.

...

The warm water of the fishing village was long behind him.

Togo felt himself awash in cold. He fought around in the snow as distant voices echoed and a sense of fearful obligation anguished his heart. The dog ignored his own chilled limbs. He had to help, he had to get someone help...Something furry moved along his back, applied no pressure at first, then gently settled over him. Togo huffed from the weight and his eyes popped open. Confused, the husky looked up to see the great white wolf half-curled on top of him. Togo very slowly moved his head out in a more natural position facing forward and his Goddess moved her head to lay on top of his again with a long sigh. The dog just stared up at her until he felt her long arms close in around him. She never said anything to him or met his eyes. After a while, Togo looked out into heavy oblivion with peaceful obliviousness.

To be continued...


	7. The conditional conundrum

**I.**

It had been two days since Togo had left his home in Nome.

Two days of wandering the great arctic landscape, trailing after his gorgeous Goddess.

"Are you hungry?" he asked after nearly forty hours of no food.

Aniu glanced at him briefly and continued to trot after her pack. Barano was flicking his long tail, exhaling in a jittery huff now and then. The rest of the wolves began to relax as at last they reached a tiny grove of tall trees and a large, rocky outcropping...right in the middle of the tundra; It was an arctic oasis that was both isolated and exposed. The eldest white wolf collapsed. Noctruno went to talk with his son and grandson as the twins nibbled at their fur.

"Nice trees," Togo approved of the cottonwoods around them.

He went up and started to scratch one of the thick, ridged trunks.

Soon the dog turned to see if Aniu was watching, but she had gone to the rocky base to lay under it's shadow. Togo noticed the position of the sun and went to go lay beside to her. She sent him half a look before resting her head down between her paws. The brown and tan husky did not press her, he merely stared out at the scenery with Aniu and wagged his tail.

Several minutes passed before a smile appeared on his muzzle: Inspiration had hit.

"Which ones are your mom and dad?"

The white wolf looked at him unsurely; even she found such forwardness odd.

But she saw that he was entirely serious.

Aniu sighed a bit. "The dark wolves there are grandfather, father and son. Those two young ones are Cotto and Nelle, you will find their only distinguishable features are the reversal of their coat patterns. Lunara is the eldest and my grandmother. I am a year and a half in age," she settled her chin on her left paw and folded her ears back. Togo waited for her to say more...

Yet she never did.

He felt hunger shoot through his stomach. Anxiously, he glanced at her and saw she would no longer acknowledge him. Never once did he think she was no longer thinking of his being there. Togo smiled affectionately at his Goddess and set out to chase down an Alaskan hare with the twins. Shanarow looked up to watch him leave before shaking his head in disgust.

"How long must we entertain this?"

"He poses no threat," Nocturno rumbled.

His grandson shot him a venomous look.

"All the same, he cannot continue following us." Barano interceded.

" _Good_ ," Shanarow took this as permission. "I will track him down and with the twins-,"

"We will leave him." Noctruno raised his great head, making himself taller and emphasizing the broadness of his shoulders. "If he follows, then we will resort to other measures..." The wolf looked to Barano, who nodded in agreement. Shanarow's fangs exposed a sinister grin.

...

As late day came, Togo returned to his Goddess with the furs of his labor.

She cocked her head at the brown creature in his mouth. He had caught something?

The confused face of a pine marten looked up first at Togo, then at Aniu.

Her golden eyes narrowed and the creature quickly scampered away back into the forest. It was with assumed casual interest that Aniu rose to her large feet and lumbered over to the dog. He looked at her immediately. "Togo," she asked candidly, "Why are you following me?"

He blinked. "Because you're beautiful." The dog smiled.

"What are you?" She asked curiously.

"I can be whatever you want me to be!" Togo straightened up excitedly.

"A rabbit," he sprung around in an impressive imitation. "A deer." Togo bounded about even more gaily, earning him some appropriate stares. "Even a moose." he looked up at her from the ground, smiling ear-to-ear. Aniu watched stoically as he then assumed a tall, impassive creature. The wolf blinked in response before her stomach gurgled with hunger. She took it that Togo had already scavenged off the twin's kill when he said, "We should eat Goddess."

"And why do you call me Goddess?" She asked apathetically. "My name is Aniu."

"Okay, Aniu." Togo smiled at her. He was suddenly struck with the fact that _he_ should feed his beautiful... Aniu. The dog looked up at a tree and saw a squirrel munching on a nut. An observation of his paw showed him that his claws were long and slightly hooked. Inspiration filled his face as he looked at Aniu and then looked up at the squirrel. "Okay, one moment."

He raced up the small cottonwood right after the startled animal.

"It has been one moment," Aniu said softly as he cornered his query. The squirrel twitched it's tail and Togo mimicked it perfectly. She tilted her head a little as Shanarow approached.

"We're ready to leave now," He mentioned to her in a husky voice, taking care that the very squirrelly dog didn't overhear. Aniu looked at him one last time and then followed Shanarow.

She almost didn't say anything. "Do you suppose he'll be all right?"

"If he can survive." The black-and-silver wolf said simply.

They were almost out of the cover of the tall branches when something landed squarely in front of Aniu. Shanarow flashed his fangs in a growl as the white wolf hesitated on one foot, her eyes quite large for once. Togo wagged his tall with the chattering squirrel in his mouth.

" _Kill it_ ," The male wolf ordered him.

Togo looked at him in surprise as everyone gathered to watch.

"You heard me." Shanarow barked authoritatively. "Kill the beast. Prove your worth!"

The dog lowered his brows and sat the squirrel down; it wasted no time in booking it.

"Why are you so mean?" Togo approached him.

Shanarow froze gravely.

"I will teach him to kill," Aniu appeared at Togo's side.

His brown eyes reddened. "Father," he turned to the pack leader.

"If the dog can hunt," Nocturno overrode his son in a booming voice, stopping Barano from helping his own son with the dealing of Togo, "by this time tomorrow," he finished. "He may stay." Aniu stepped back as she had semi-deliberately placed a leg in front of the naive pup.

"And if not," Shanarow challenged his grandfather again, "You will allow me to end this."

Barano looked between the two, but said nothing.

Noctruno nodded.

"And he must kill without hesitation," the old male laid the final condition.

The full extent of Shanarow's fury was stifled for the moment.

With an angry shake of his head, the wolf stalked away growling.

Everyone watched with still caution until Barano trailed after his son at the flank.

Aniu turned to Togo with great meaning. "You must be a wolf," she told him firmly.

He beamed up at her with instant delight. "A _wolf_ ," he both decided and agreed with her as if he hadn't heard what everyone else had said. "I'll be a **wolf.** " Togo jumped once excitedly and then followed the pack. Aniu didn't tell him it would take time or that he wasn't actually a wolf, nor that he would have to face difficult trials if he did succeed. She merely followed.

To be continued...


	8. Nightly ventures

**I**.

It was a clear night. Most of the woodland and tundra wildlife had settled down to sleep under the star-filled sky. Aniu lifted her head at an almost inaudible sound and immediately shifted her eyes to Togo, who slept in peace inches from her. She tilted her head, wondering.

Should she wake him and begin hunting?

Aniu did not stress over the threat of consequences if she remained inactive.

There was a quiet rustling and she pointed her muzzle to the east. A dark figure lumbered out into the snow, more at odds with discomfort than his actual size. Aniu gave her charge one last look before rising to her own feet and stepping up to watch the wolf journey alone across the tundra. There was quite a distance between this island of cottonwood and the big, coniferous forest looming out in the navy of night. Aniu took a breath and followed him.

Obligation was never a distant thing.

...

The black-silver wolf walked a straight path into the shrub-deprived forest and then into the cool water of a secluded lake. If he sensed the presence behind him, he didn't look back. It was with a twinkling ripple from up above did the wolf raise his neck and examine the endless expanse with faraway eyes. Aniu watched from behind a tree as Noctruno stood on his back feet. The dark water receded away from his limbs, revealing a wolf's skull beneath.

He closed his eyes and bayed to the ancient spirits above.

In a burst of color, the Aurora Borealis broke out across the arboreal sky.

Aniu watched as a white, misty creature descended from the multi-hued display and caught Noctruno in a giant muzzle. Ghostly wind blew fiercely across the forest floor, streaming it's gusty side winds at Aniu. The wolf narrowly missed being swallowed alive as the old leader surely had and took the merciful miss as her chance to escape. Fear, both for herself and her pack, consumed her as she high-tailed it out of the forest and across the wide, snowy space. Aniu didn't dare turn back to see the threatening wind wolf when she heard a yelp.

" _Aniu_!" She stopped short in a few leaps and turned to see Noctruno there, unharmed.

The white wolf turned to examine the receding grey ghost rising into the fading colors. Her breath returned as it all disappeared into the stars. A look of understanding marked his big, silver face as he approached her. The two looked up but did not howl. Aniu was bewildered.

"We are taught only to howl in times of distress," she commented, close to being so herself.

Noctruno lowered his head so she would do the same.

He looked into her eyes mysteriously. "I believe, Aniu, we are very close to those times."

 **II**.

Dawn threaded along the horizon and the darkness faded enough for diurnal animals to see. Some of the wolves grunted and twitched, but most chose to sleep. There was no feeling of immediate danger. Togo was surely curled up next to his Goddess when he felt a soft nudge.

"Aniu?" He asked and peered up.

Glowing eyes were at odds with a dimly-lit figure standing over him.

"Togo," A husky voice stated his name.

"Shadow... rogue?"

"Shanarow," The wolf grumbled lightly.

"W-w-what'd you want?" Togo wasn't quite scared yet.

"I want to know how determined you are at keeping your promise."

The husky blinked.

"How willing are you to become a wolf?"

"Very!" Togo springing forward caused Shanarow reel back, but he didn't growl.

"Then you would do best to follow me," the wolf started to take the lead.

Effortless didn't quite cover his execution, Shanarow noted.

But then, it really didn't.

"Where's Aniu?" Togo looked around naively.

"Wouldn't it be _impressive_ , if you learned to be a wolf in her absence? To surprise her with your acquired _skill_ and _cunning_." Shanarow turned back around to face him. "Convince her."

"Of what?" The husky asked simply, noticing a moth whizzing around his head.

Shanarow was on the fang's end of patience. "That you are a wolf."

Togo looked at him. "Why would I have to do that? I am a wolf." he nipped at the insect.

" _Because,_ unless you are taught, you cannot be a wolf. She will not accept you as you are."

The husky became unsettled. "She won't? But she accepts me now."

"If you are not at the very least imitable, she will _not_ accept you."

"But she-,"

"She _tolerates_ you, out of kindness. By the day's end she will cast you out."

"I..." he thought a moment, "You wanted to show me? How to be one?" Togo said hopefully.

"Follow me," Shanarow told him. "Cotto, Nelle," he instructed quietly as he passed them.

The two wolves rose excitedly and licked at each other; It was Togo who followed with much doubt and uncertainty for once. He _could_ be a wolf for her. He would be! But what did being a wolf mean? If Shanarow said Aniu wasn't convinced, then Togo would have to learn, right?

He didn't question the wolf's motives or anything else, Togo merely trailed after him into the forest. A few minutes later, Aniu came from out of the stand of cottonwood with a half-dead calf hiding in the bushes. She approached where Togo had been to find that he was missing.

"Togo?" The wolf looked around. "We must begin your-,"

He was nowhere to be found.

Aniu caught the scent of three pack members going off to the side... and then over towards the forest. Whoever they were, their scent masked Togo's. Aniu then saw the eldest wolves were still sleeping. Her head jerked up in alarm. If they weren't with Togo, then that meant her scavenger was with... Aniu didn't think any more about it, she immediately bolted after the young wolves' heavy trail in the hopes that she wasn't too late. Her heart twisted in a strange fear at the thought of something happening to Togo. Why? Aniu didn't really know.

To be continued...


End file.
